Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau Announces New Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress; New Division to Raise Regional Life Sciences Visi

The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) announced today the formation of a new division, the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress. As witnessed with the successful hosting of the international BIO 2005 convention, the Philadelphia region is a current and future leader in life sciences research, biological development and manufacturing, pharmaceutical commercialization, and renowned health care. All of these key areas, as well as solid partnerships with the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and private companies make this region a global life sciences destination.

The mission of the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress is to raise the visibility of the tri-state area as a leader in the life sciences, and as a world-class destination for the industry's meetings, conventions, and future business opportunities. Meetings connect local leaders and businesses with national and international opportunities. These connections bring new companies to the region, new partnerships, and an overall awareness of Philadelphia's thriving business community.

"It makes good business sense for the PCVB to play an active part in this growth market and to help bridge all of those involved in this industry," said Tom Muldoon, president of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. "In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, the life sciences corridor is robust with education and innovation, as well as the process leaders and work force who bring products and technology to market."

The Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress itself will serve as a connector to bridge this industry with national and international meeting planners to maximize the region's opportunity to host life science-related meetings and conventions. The Congress will help connect planners by:

Partners such as Select Greater Philadelphia, Delaware Bio, Biotechnology Council of New Jersey, Inc., and Pennsylvania BIO are already actively helping make these connections. Kathleen Otto has been named the executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress and will work with the newly formed board, which consists of more than 30 regional life science leaders.

Board members represent the following companies: Cephalon, Inc.; Temple University School of Medicine; BioRexis(TM) Pharmaceutical Corporation; Innovation Philadelphia; Jefferson University Hospital; EuclidSR Partners; Shire; AstraZeneca International; Temple University; Community College of Philadelphia; Aisling Capital; Viropharma Incorpoated; Aqua America, Inc.; NanoVec, Inc.; Drexel University; Fox Chase Cancer Center; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Economy League of Greater Philadelphia ; ECRI; Cytogen Corporation; The Wistar Institute; Johnson & Johnson; University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Wyeth; BioAdvance; Ben Franklin Technology Partners; GlaxoSmithKline; The Franklin Institute Science Museum; Alliance for Microbicide Development; Philadelphia University; Advanced MedTech Conferences/ Life Sciences Conference Group, LLC; University of the Sciences in Philadelphia; American Association of Cancer Research; and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"With our significant concentration of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, world-renowned research institutions, a nationally recognized convention and visitors bureau, and a soon-to-be expanded convention center, Philadelphia is poised to become the nation's premier destination for health care-related meetings," said Frank Baldino, Jr., PhD., chairman and chief operating officer of Cephalon, Inc.

Today, life science-related business totals approximately one-third of all meetings and conventions held in Philadelphia. According to BIO, the Philadelphia region is situated in the heart of the pharmaceutical and medical industry, surrounded by a plethora of medical facilities, and lies within a 50-mile radius of eight of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. All of this provides access to a deep pool of talent and partners for the region's extensive bioscience, life sciences, and health care community that will enable the success of not only the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, but of the entire life sciences industry.

To learn more about the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, visit www.PhiladelphiaUSA.travel.

Who we are: The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), www.PhiladelphiaUSA.travel, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has departments dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets.

Our mission: To generate economic impact and job growth by increasing the region's hotel occupancy and revenues, while concurrently affecting other diverse segments of the hospitality industry. To do whatever it takes to attract ethnically diverse regional, national and international convention and tourism customers through creative sales, marketing and communications efforts. To deliver exceptional service and experiences for all, ensuring repeat business across market segments. To increase the quality of life for all our citizens, stakeholders, and visitors by supporting the region's vibrant arts and entertainment, historic, cultural, retail, restaurant, and sports venues.

Editor's Note: Collateral and logos for the new Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress are available as high-resolution images.



CONTACT: Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB)
Media:
Sarah Hines,215-636-3412
Cell: 484-716-2095
sarahh@pcvb.org

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